The idea of Luxury n’ Little Ones was born after spending many hours, weeks and days searching for hotels both in the UK and abroad which were luxurious enough for myself and husband but enjoyable too for our children for our annual summer holiday and little breaks through the year. There are plenty of booking sites out there which have a child friendly section but that could mean anything from of
fering high chairs in the restaurant to allowing a cot in a room. I found I really had to search to find out more and searching meant a lot of time which with a full time job, no nanny, cleaner or maids (but plenty of grand-parental help!) and two children under 3 I didn’t really have. Our first two summer holidays post-children was in self-catering abroad but it felt like just being at home – but with some sunshine. I was still making breakfast, lunch and tea and having to wash up! We chose self catering as we could still put our children to bed (in a separate room!) at 7pm and enjoy an evening on our own (enjoying the sundown cocktails on our balcony) so it almost felt like we were still going out like the old days – but staying in! I began to wonder whether a hotel could offer that – so you had the luxury of a hotel with maids, room service, spa, breakfast all cooked for you - but with the children also not just catered for but considered equally as guests. As we all know, if the kids are happy you are happy. I thought that there had to be a hotel out there where you could go where the children would be warmly welcomed, spoilt, and looked after as equal guests which would mean we as parents could still enjoy a relaxing holiday. Not something I had looked into, or even thought about pre-children. Well you don’t do you....
So I started to do some research and there didn’t seem to be one website that had on it all the information as a parent I wanted or that really highlighted luxury hotels both in the UK and abroad which were perfect for children and adults. For us as parents a truly relaxing holiday was, and is, an essential part of our lives; whether it was a short break in the UK or our annual holiday abroad. But it was suddenly so difficult to book a hotel on-line. Was the price for one interconnecting room or two? Did a family room just mean one big room for all for of us? Did a suite have a separate living room where the kids could sleep or just a sofa in the bedroom. Was the room beautiful enough, big enough, or have an outdoor terrace which would mean we could still put the kids to bed and have dinner in our room? I had lots of questions which I wanted answers to in order to be sure this was the hotel for us but the website did not have them. So Luxury n’ Little Ones was born and the rest, as they say, is history. You hear parents talk about “before we had the kids” and “after we had the kids”. The seismic shift in your life is impossible to describe to those without children; the sheer hard work and joy which you receive in equal measure. The need for a luxury break is even more important. As a solicitor in my previous life I had no background in the hotel industry or the knowledge how to create a website. But what I did have was passion, motivation and inspiration to create something truly unique for other parents. I hope you enjoy the collection.